WAKTU
I

am Chinese but I was born in Indonesia.  I grew up in a small house.  Downstairs my parents manufactured noodles that we sold to both restaurants and the public. 

 

My grandparents had moved to Indonesia from China in the 1930s to try to make a better life for our family.  Being immigrants, we were limited to only the ways of the native Indonesians.  We were not permitted to study our heritage our Chinese language at all.

 

Pontianak is a beautiful tropical paradise where the equator passes right through the middle of town.  I spent my youth playing in the lush jungles and on the pure white sandy beaches of the Java Sea and the South Pacific.  These colors and surroundings would later become the inspiration for my work.

 

In elementary school one of the weekly lessons was painting.  We were given books with blank paper and the direction to paint whatever we wanted to.  Each week we would spend two hours in school or at home painting in our books.  The next day, the teacher would collect our “artwork” and grade it. 

 

At home we had a picture book about the circus with colorful images of animals, trainers and circus clowns.  I found this fascinating and decided to use it as the subject of my art.  I studied the shapes of the faces and proportions of the bodies to use in my paintings.  I ended up painting a picture of a seal with his trainer balancing a ball on his nose.  When I took this in to school, the teacher wouldn’t believe that I had painted it myself and insisted that I had someone do it for me!  After that, I painted a picture in school for him to prove that I could do it.  The teacher and school were impressed but I thought I only do this for fun so it’s OK.

 

I worked diligently in my father’s business after school but when I wasn’t studying or working, I was indulging my passion of painting.  As I got older, my art began to evolve into a pastime of cartoon illustrations.  A friend, who had seen my work, wrote a book after graduating school and asked me to illustrate the cover for him.  I was happy to do it and began to do covers and illustrations for other books as well.

 

One of my older brothers went into the clothing manufacturing business.  He liked my use of color and design and asked if he could use my artwork for his clothing.  I began to produce designs for his clothing and it got to the point where we would get requests for my work.  We sold to stores who would buy 12 dozen at a time, sell them all and come back for more!  I felt happy and honored that my work was liked so much and to think I only did it for fun!  It was then that I knew that art would remain the great passion of my life.

 

In 1998 a crisis economy swept through Indonesia creating great unrest.  Many of the Chinese people were the target of hatred by the native Indonesians.  They burned us out of our businesses and homes.  They would throw rocks at us on the street.  Once, we had to hide our hide in the attic of a building for 10 days until the rioting stopped.  I made plans to leave Indonesia to get away from the hatred and physical assaults.  I was fortunate enough to get out.

 

I found refuge in the great country of America.  I now live in south Florida with my partner after traveling the country for 7 years.  It is here that I am able to continue producing my artwork, which continues to evolve. 

 

My sculptures reflect the simple pleasures that life affords us even amid the hustle and bustle of our daily routines.  I draw my inspiration from the present as well as the past.  The one constant is time.  It is precious and we must live in each moment of it.  While we shouldn’t worry about each minute passing, we should be mindful of it and appreciate the whole spectrum of experiences that come with it.  Enjoy your journey!

STN

 

 


2 comments | Post comment

bought one of your small pieces at the Mt Dora arts festival. You are unbelievable, this technique is beautiful, you are so talented, just wish I could afford a bigger piece. God Bless and keep up the beautiful works of art.
-- John Hudacik, 2/6/23

I find you to be a very kind and genuine person. Your work is super fun and creative. I am very glad to have met you and I am really enjoying collecting your art!
-- Beth K, 4/12/19


TshunArt - WAKTU - Expressions in the context of time
Whimsical hanging wall art with Pencil Hair
Greeting cards with working clocks
Sip Tshun Ng Artist
Pompano Beach FL
I hope you enjoy my art... Love Tshun


 TSHUNART LLCPompano Beach, FL(954)682 5586

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